Hayden Gillim: It's a Family Affair

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2013) – Hayden Gillim had a monster 2012 campaign in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport competition. The 17-year-old landed in the top 10 in all but one of his 20 starts last year, including two convincing victories at Miller and NOLA Motorsports Park.

The young Gillim also piled up five podium appearances and two pole positions on his way to an already statistically impressive season. In fact, Gillim’s only flaw in 2012, if you want to call it that, was coming up just short in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport West point standings, finishing second to James Rispoli. It wasn't until earlier this month that Gillim announced he had found a supporting cast for the upcoming season; his own flesh and blood.

“It’s just going to be my family and I doing it out of the RV this year,” said Gillim. “We’ll receive some help from RM Racing and JD Beach but other than that and the help from our loyal sponsors, we’re pretty much on our own.”

It may look like Gillim has a mountain to climb in 2013, and in some aspects he probably does, but this isn’t the first time the Kentucky rider has relied on family as his main backing for a full season. Gillim’s first ever season as a pro consisted of him, his family, and a single motorcycle to last him the entire 2011 season. This year, Gillim has two Yamaha YZF-R6’s at his disposal and will be hungry to prove all the naysayers wrong.

“This is almost exactly how we did things during my first year as a professional. My dad and brother will be my main mechanics. I’ll even crank a few wrenches if the situation calls for it, anything to help out. Jon Heinen, my old mechanic from last year, will be working with us as well.”

Gillim is one of GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing’s finest young talents, and with a chip on his shoulder going in to 2013, fans can expect this star-in-the-making to be a name for years to come. With 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Champion James Rispoli graduating to AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, there is no reason for Gillim not to be among the favorites to capture the title going in to 2013.

“Last year I was in the top-five almost every race. I had a couple mishaps here and there but recovered nicely. James (Rispoli) has been the main guy I’ve been chasing over the years. With him gone, I definitely feel like I can go out there and win a great deal of races and bring home the championship.”